


Life Beyond

by makot0naegi



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Absent Characters, Absent Parents, Adopted Children, Aftermath of Violence, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Child Abandonment, Child Murder, Childhood Memories, Closure, Crying, Daddy Issues, Dead People, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Father Figures, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Gunter gets an ending, Hoshido | Birthright Route, Hostage Situations, Ice Powers, In-Laws, Innocence, Invisible Kingdom | Valla, Kidnapping, Letters, Long-Term Relationship(s), Minor Character Death, No Deeprealms, Nohr | Conquest Route, Parenthood, Past Child Abuse, Plot Twists, Post-Betrayal, Post-Canon, Post-War, Racism, References to Illness, Sad and Sweet, Scars, Servants, Sexual Humor, Sleepy Cuddles, Swordfighting, Ten Years Later, There's a fanchild or two, Unrequited Love, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24618916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makot0naegi/pseuds/makot0naegi
Summary: They say that some people can overcome their demons, but others will be forever haunted by them. Gunter was never one of the former, always falling under the category of the latter. To his mind, there would be no life beyond the Resurrection of Valla. The moment he fell into the hands of a villain, his heart torn by anger, that was where things ended for him.There was no life beyond heartbreak for Gunter. At least, there wouldn't be, if it weren't for his kids.A Post-Revelations Fire Emblem story.
Relationships: Aqua | Azura/Joker | Jakob, Felicia/Ryoma (Fire Emblem), Flora/Joker (unrequited), Leo/Takumi (mentioned), My Unit | Kamui | Corrin/Silas, Ryoma/Scarlet (past), Sakura/Hayato (mentioned)
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

To  
~~Queen Corrin Argiri Kalivas of Valla~~  
~~Prince Jakob Emory Myron of Valla~~  
~~Queen Felicia Evangeline Masahide of Hoshido~~  
~~Chief Flora Leigh Santori of the Ice Tribe~~

...whomever it may concern,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I know it is unusual for someone of your caliber to be getting a letter from such a village nobody, and I’m sorry if my penmanship is sloppy, but I promise that what I’ve got to say will be important to ya. 

You see, my name is Barley Eskelson. I’m a farmer who lives just on the outskirts of Nohr’s cities, in a little village called Mourwake. We ain’t a big population of people, so I wouldn’t be surprised if ya have never heard of us, but I thought I’d mention it anyway. After all, if you’ve been sendin’ letters to Mister Gunter all these years, I figured you might like to know where they’ve been goin’. I can’t imagine bein’ in your position, not knowing where someone I clearly care about has been all of these years. Rest assured, at least, that Mister Gunter has been livin’ here for some years now. He’s been a real help, actually, keepin’ our village safe from bandits in spite of his age. We’ve been awful grateful to have him around these past few years. However, havin’ him around these past few years is actually what I’ve been wantin’ to write to you about. I’m sorry for the words I’m about to write. They aren’t good ones, I’m afraid.

Mister Gunter Laguerre-Bladow, the recipient of all of your letters, passed away in his house on December 25th, XXXX at approximately 3 o’clock in the afternoon. In the months before this day, Mister Gunter had just finished fighting with a nasty case of diphtheria. I don’t imagine you must’ve known, because the local letter carrier had no records of any letters to any of you. I’m sure he must’ve said somethin’. Maybe privately? Anyway, the village healer, a nice young lass called Meredith, thought that Gunter should be fine even in his old age. Even with diphtheria, he was a fit and healthy guy. Miss Meredith, she was almost certain he would pull through. She and I would check on him every day that he was sick, and though it took a bit of time, he seemed to be recoverin’ well. His fever went down, his body seemed less weak, and those funny glands in his neck were so much less swollen… Miss Meredith, Mister Gunter, and me… we all thought he was gonna be fine. Then, a week after those days, I’m comin’ over to check up on him in his little home, and he’s gone. No one around, no known last words, nothin’. Miss Meredith thinks he must’ve passed from the toxins gettin’ into his bloodstream and wrecking his heart worse than mean-spirited teenagers in a corn field. 

We’re hopin’ to hold a funeral in the comin’ weeks. We’re gonna use magic to keep his body, so he won’t look too spooky when the funeral does come. Nobody here in town really knew if Mister Gunter had much family, ‘cause he never talked about no one from his past like they were still around. He always said that he had a wife, and some kids once, but… we never really knew for certain what became of ‘em. And when I saw your letters in that ol’ house of his, well I sorta got to wonderin’... If maybe some of those kids were you? Yours were the only letters I ever saw in his house, so if it pleases ya, I’d like to invite you to his funeral. All of us down here in Mourwake think he woulda liked to have ya there. 

If you’re interested, we’re hopin’ to hold the funeral at the Chapel of Remission here in Mourwake. We’re thinkin’ we’d like for it to be on January the 11th, XXXX at around 11 o’clock in the mornin’. Please write back to me if ya want to be there, and I can ask Alya, the village innkeeper, to set up some reservations for ya. Rest assured, the people here in Mourwake will keep you safe, happy, and healthy the whole time you’re here. It would be an honour for us to host a leader such as yourself, and I promise ya, we would not take it for granted. 

Thank ya very much for your time and for your consideration. If my previous offer interests ya, please write back to the address of 567 Lily Moor Crescent, over in the little ol’ town of Mourwake. For good measure, you might even wanna try to send to the city of Cerora first, as some letter carriers ain’t too keen on hikin’ over to our little village. But hopefully, you shouldn’t have any trouble. 

I am deeply sorry for your loss. Mister Gunter was a wonderful person, and a great pleasure to know. I’m certain that he’s restin’ peacefully now, and that in his last moments, he thought of you. 

Best regards,

Mister Barley Eskelson


	2. Never Trust an Interrupting Ninja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For six months, Felicia's world has been neverending chaos. Between a new baby, the death of her father, and the induction of her sister as the new chief of the Ice Tribe, her life has been less than soothing. Being queen of Hoshido certainly doesn't help. And unfortunately, contrary to her beliefs, it can get worse.

It was a rare pleasure for Felicia, getting to eat dinner with her husband.

Not that that came as a surprise to anyone. That was the kind of thing that happened when you married the king of a country. You’d miss out on a lot of your time with him, as he got dragged off to meeting after meeting after counsel after meeting. Eventually, you’d get a little bit of time, but… it never seemed like enough. She tried not to mind it too much. She knew he was busy, and that the country needed him, and that she could probably keep herself busy without him around… She found she just preferred having more time with him than just their nightly snuggle sessions. Having these little dinners with just her children and her husband’s siblings, it was all part of her daily life. But at least, when her husband could finally find the time to join them to eat dinner as a family, it was almost always a happy occasion. 

The particular meal they were eating was almost a happy one. How could it not be, with everyone sitting around the big dining table, passing around plates of delicious smelling food? Her mouth could have watered at the sight of all of the plates of fish and vegetables and rice, all lovingly prepared by their servants, just so they could have a nice meal together. She made a mental note to thank them for it all later. They always did go all out when Ryoma could sit down with the family. They liked to make sure that every face on the table had a smile on it those nights, and tonight was no exception. Though dinner had just barely started, the dining hall was already filled with talk and laughter. Younger voices mixed in with older ones as plates were passed around; everyone scooping on generous helpings of food. Watching her family like that… Gods, Felicia felt like she didn’t have a care in the world. If her ice powers would allow her to freeze time, she’d have liked to freeze it right then. What a pleasure it would have been, to be able to keep the moment as pure as it was.

“Ugh, Shiro! You need to cut your meat before you try to eat it,” Her husband’s voice came from across the table, in the midst of a squabble with their eldest son like always, “It’s rude to try and stuff so much food in your mouth at once. If you would not eat that way in front of company, you should not eat that way in front of your family.”

The little boy paid his father no mind, still trying to tear into his pork with his teeth. The sight made Felicia have to muffle her giggles. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it.”

It was hard not to laugh at the sight of him. He always did get such an expression of determination on his face when he set his mind to something; it humoured her even more to realize that this was the same expression Ryoma wore. Probably on account of them looking so much alike. The only things her son seemed to get from her were her hair colour and her lactose intolerance. Otherwise, Shiro was all Ryoma. They both had this intense look in their eyes and the tendency to furrow their brows when they were really, really concentrating on something. Her favourite thing, though, was when they would puff their chests up all proudly. She had seen it half a million times and never found it any less funny than the first. Such a show of masculine bravado, yet so cute. A charm she hoped neither of them would ever lose.

Still, charming as it could be, watching Shiro trying to tear his pork apart rather than cut it looked kind of like how she did back when she’d break at least five plates on the daily: kind of pathetic. He really wasn’t making any progress. He mostly just seemed to be making the situation worse, much to his father’s chagrin. Her husband’s obvious exasperation only made it more laughable, though, and she had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from tittering. The last thing she wanted was for Ryoma to accuse her of egging Shiro on.

“I don’t think he’s got it,” Shiro’s sister, Scarlet, muttered from beside him, her gaze fixed on him like he’d sprouted a third head, “Not at all.”

Shiro spit out his meat and shot her a glare. “Shut up, Scarlet.”

“Hey!” Felicia heard her own voice before she thought to use it. Part of those motherhood instincts, she guessed. Or maybe it was leftover offence from having been the younger sibling who got told to shut up. Even though the age gap between her and Flora was six minutes and not the four years that Shiro and Scarlet had, it could have bothered her all the same. “You don’t talk to your sister like that. Say you’re sorry.”

Shiro pouted instantly, folding his arms across his chest for dramatic effect. The boy always did know how to play up his frustration to try and get what he wanted. Another Ryoma trait, albeit one they were both less than proud of. “Why am I the only one in trouble?”

“You were the one who chose to be rude.” Ryoma took the distraction as an opportunity to swipe his plate away, unwilling to let him go back to gnawing at his food like a wild animal. “That being said, Scarlet, you needn’t criticize your brother. That’s not fair to him.”

Scarlet took her turn to pout, sticking her lower lip out even further than Shiro had. In hopes of getting off with puppy dog eyes, Felicia assumed. Ryoma always did have a soft spot for Scarlet’s puppy dog eyes… and she knew that because he’d always had a soft spot for _her _puppy dog eyes. Still, this time, she got the feeling they wouldn’t get her very far. Not with her aunts and uncles snickering from their seats.__

__Unlike Felicia and Ryoma, who had rather eagerly started their family as soon as they were married, none of her siblings-in-law had kids. Hinoka actually never married at all, opting instead to live life with her siblings and working as a general. She lived out most of her days with friends and family, enjoying her reputation as “the cool aunt” more than she was willing to admit. She wasn’t quite like Takumi, who actually did find himself married — but to another man. Prince Leo of Nohr, to be specific. They’d been looking for a surrogate to bear a child for them for about two years now, but it had been tough. Unfortunately, a woman willing to bear their children for them was harder to come by than expected. Felicia had even wanted to offer herself as an option, but when a healer had checked her over, it turned out Ryoma had (unknowingly) beaten them to the punch. At least nothing like that would affect little Sakura, at least for now, as she had just gotten engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Hayato. They’d been together for so long that everyone was expecting Hayato’s proposal, including Sakura herself. They were still young enough that nobody expected them to jump on the baby train yet. Yes, all of Ryoma’s siblings were leagues behind him – a very proud father of three, currently trying to talk his beloved wife into carrying a fourth. Strictly speaking, they were all pretty disconnected from having children at the moment. If they were any more connected, they’d probably have known that their snickering didn’t help._ _

__At the very least, Felicia could try to divert from the subject. Maybe save Shiro and Scarlet the embarrassment of all of that attention being on them. She couldn’t expect the poor kids to suffer with the guilt forever, but perhaps that was their cute pouts talking. They could be so hard to resist doting on sometimes._ _

__“Ah, Ryoma, did you get the chance to visit Saburo today?”_ _

__A safe topic. Saburo was their youngest, and since he was a baby, nobody had any qualms with him. He would be a good way to keep family dinner time as it should be, rather than turning it into family argue-in-a-petty-way-that-proves-you-are-all-either-Ryoma-himself-or-products-of-his-seed time. The subject brought relief instantly, melting away Shiro and Scarlet’s pouts, and allowing Ryoma to breathe a light sigh. Though he refused to lift his head from his son’s plate to meet her gaze, she could see his mouth twitch upward into a half-grin._ _

__“I did,” He nodded gently, “He’s getting so big. I have to wonder what you’ve been feeding him.”_ _

__Felicia rolled her eyes, blowing air out of her nose just to keep Ryoma from getting the laugh she knew he was after. He never had been much of goofball, at least most of the time, but every once in awhile he did like to get playful. Mostly about silly small things, like this – like teasing her for a decision he approved of, such as nursing their children herself rather than employing a wet nurse._ _

__“Just milk, like you would any normal, non-royal baby,” She assured him, leaning forward on the table, “I don’t think he’s any bigger than Shiro was, when he was that small.”_ _

__Scarlet giggled, placing her chopsticks down on her plate. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked over at her mother, like she didn’t have a single care in the world. The innocence in her tone only made Felicia want to pinch those chubby cheeks of hers even more. “Big Brother was a big baby?”_ _

__“Yes, very big. He was pretty hard to get out!” She laughed, almost like giving birth to Shiro wasn’t the hardest thing she’d ever been through. It could be laughed about now, but gods, being in labour with Shiro had hurt. It was eighteen full hours of pain and screaming, all soaked in sweat and unable to do anything but cry and push with all of her might. Everyone, even Ryoma himself, considered it a miracle that Felicia even agreed to having Scarlet after that. “You weren’t so big though.”_ _

__Ryoma nodded in agreement. “You were small and delicate, like your mother. I used to be afraid to hold you, as my hands were so big and you were so little. I have not had the same experience with your brothers. Shiro and Saburo get their size from me.”_ _

___That’s true, _Felicia thought quietly. According to his siblings and the accounts of Yukimura, who’d worked in the castle for decades, Ryoma was apparently also a large baby. None of his siblings had been on par with him in size. She couldn’t help but wonder if this meant Shiro and Saburo would end up tall and muscular like their father when they grew up. And funnily enough, Shiro seemed to wonder, too. “Wait. Does that mean when I grow up, I’ll be big and tough like you?”__ _ _

____Ryoma shrugged, seeming somewhat blasé at first, but she saw the slight glint in both of their eyes at the exchange. A sort of unspoken hopefulness on Shiro’s end, and gentle encouragement on Ryoma’s. “It depends on how hard you train to achieve it. The vital requirement for any true strength is hard work and training. Factors like natural talent and body build can only get you so far. So while you might have better luck, you will need to put in the effort to bring you the rest of the way.”_ _ _ _

____Nobody could really tell if Shiro actually heard his father, or if it just went in one ear and out the other. The boy was too busy waving his hands around dramatically for anyone to gather how much he was inside of his own head. Such was the enthusiasm of eight-year-old boys. You never could tell if they were listening to you, or lost in the thoughts procured by their own minds. “You bet! I’m gonna train super hard and be super strong. Just like you!”_ _ _ _

____Felicia swore she could melt on the spot just by watching and listening. It was unfair that her family could possibly be this cute. It didn’t help that her husband was actually there this time to see it, to fully experience being a father rather than drowning in paperwork. Even the simple act of Ryoma reaching over to ruffle Shiro’s strawberry blond hair made her want to squeal with delight. It was all too sweet and playful for her heart to take. And when Scarlet joined in, rambling excitedly about wanting to train with the katana and be just like her father? That was it. Felicia would claim death by loving too hard. There was nothing else that could be done. The whole scene was so distracting, she hadn’t even noticed someone new slip into the room. She hadn’t noticed the way her in-laws turned to look at her. It wasn’t until her husband had caught a glimpse of the new arrival himself that she really noted the presence of another looming behind her, and even then, it was all on account of the twist in his facial expression. That easy-going smile he tended to get around his children fell away without any effort at all. And for her, seeing that was all it took for her to turn her head._ _ _ _

____“Ah!” Embarrassingly, she’d practically jumped out of her skin at the sight. Gods, had she really been staring at her family like such a loving fool that she didn’t even feel the energy of someone new entering the room? “Kagero, you s-scared me!”_ _ _ _

____The dark-haired ninja bowed, her hair falling in front of her eyes in a way that sent pangs of discomfort through Felicia’s stomach. It had been ten years, and even in spite of being queen of Hoshido, she never found Kagero any less intimidating. There was something to be said about the woman, all strong angles and brooding eyes, hiding in the shadows to collect information. In theory she knew it was for the safety of her husband, but having previously been a Nohrian girl accused of trying to sleep her way into the Hoshidan royal court, the presence of the ninja made her uneasy. She never could shake that feeling of being watched like she was suspicious whenever Kagero was around._ _ _ _

____“I apologize for interrupting you during dinner; however, I come bearing a message. I am told that it is of utmost importance, and needed to be delivered as soon as I could manage.”_ _ _ _

____A deep crease had already begun to form between Ryoma’s brows. With nary a second thought, she watched as he swiftly abandoned Shiro’s plate and wiped his hands off with a napkin. Ready to do business within a second, most would have expected, if they didn’t notice him gnawing on his lower lip. Not even a telling word out of Kagero, and he already feared the worst. She could barely imagine the images that must have been rushing through his mind at that moment; she’d bet money on him conjuring up as many disaster-scenarios as he possibly could within his mind. He had always been fretful like that. Always scared that the life he’d come to know would be destroyed within an instant. It wasn’t like it hadn’t happened to him before._ _ _ _

____He seemed to swallow as he gazed over at Kagero, his expression growing more and more troubled by the second. “Could you bring it over here, Kagero?”_ _ _ _

____She refused with a shake of her head. “My apologies, milord, but I should have specified. The message I bear isn’t for you,” She paused for a moment, her gaze slowly drifting towards Felicia, “It’s for milady.”_ _ _ _

____Oh, jeez. Even the simple act of Kagero looking at her made her palms sweat. Heat began to spread across the young queen’s cheeks, blinking slowly as she attempted to process the information. “Milady a-as in… me?” She pointed a finger at herself, unable to stop herself from glancing over at Hinoka and Sakura. “That milady?”_ _ _ _

____Kagero nodded and extended her arm so that Felicia could take the letter from her hand. Felicia couldn’t help but wish ninjas didn’t have to be so stoic. She would have given anything to be able to read Kagero’s face, to see the slight twitch of her lips or the minute change in her gaze, to just have something to tell her if everything would be alright. Letters that came from ninjas were usually bad business, and letters that interrupted dinner? They sent shivers down her spine. For the past few months, if anyone interrupted anything she was doing with a letter, she would shake the whole time she read it. After all, the last time she could remember receiving such a letter was two months prior, when Flora wrote to tell her that their father died. She never wanted to open another letter like that again, but what choice did she have? If there was one here now, it wasn’t exactly as if she could avoid it._ _ _ _

____She pushed a tight-lipped smile as she plucked the letter out of Kagero’s hand, muttering a somewhat insincere “thank you” to her as she examined the envelope. Not a letter from the Ice Tribe. A sigh of relief within itself. She was not ready to receive a letter from the Tribe telling her about Flora’s demise. The mere concept of that sent a sharp pain shooting through her chest, and for a moment, all she could do was stare stupidly at the envelope. She still recalled that the letter detailing her father’s passing had shaken her so hard that her retainer, Aneko, spent a month opening and reading all of Felicia’s mail for her upon her request. The sight of new mail alone sparked fear in her heart. She was just now getting over that fear, but she didn’t imagine this letter would do much to help it. In all honesty, she wasn’t still completely over it. If anything, she knew that it was the panic over the letter’s contents being the same as the previous hard-hitter, dingy and unfamiliar as it was, that drew her back to that sense of anxiety. _Please, _she begged, _just tell me that nobody else has died. _______ _ _

________Takumi’s voice rose above the silence in the room. “Who’s it from?” No surprise there that he would be the one bold enough to ask whilst all the others remained silent. He didn’t even seem to hesitate in the slightest. “It’s not from Flora, is it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No.” Her fingers traced the lettering on the envelope. The handwriting was unlike anyone’s she’d ever seen before. Most of the time, the letters she received were from scholars or nobles – people who had the education and guidance that gave them swooping, curved writing. But the writing on the envelope was spidery, and joined by thin lines of ink. For a moment, she considered that it could be a letter from a war-time friend, yet she dismissed the thought almost as quickly. One of her jobs as Corrin’s retainer had been paper and letter delivery for her, and as such was the case, she knew almost everyone’s handwriting to some degree. She could safely say that this wasn’t the penmanship of anyone she knew. Although that much should have been evident, given that the name on the letter seemed to read: “Mister Barley Eskelson.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ryoma quirked a brow as she read the name aloud, seeming more than a little comfortable with having voiced his curiosity out loud. “Is that the name of someone from the Northern Fortress? An old friend or colleague, perhaps?” He seemed to pause for a minute, mulling the name over in his head. “One of our retired soldiers? An immigrant merchant?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Definitely not, _she wanted to say. Her clumsiness had garnered her quite a reputation back in the Northern Fortress, to the point where it was rare to find someone who could stand her for more than a few minutes. And the concept of it being a former soldier? Her husband was grasping at straws with that one. Even after the war and the vow of peace, there were a scarce few Nohrian immmigrants in Hoshido. While the country had warmed up to its Nohrian neighbours in some ways, it was never enough to get enough people to want to settle there. Ten years, and they weren’t at that stage yet… Barley Eskelson… Barley Eskelson… She found herself repeating the name over and over again in her head until it sounded like gibberish. Barley Eskelson… Barley Eskelson…__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t know who it’s from,” ended up being all she could muster, glancing nervously down at the letter in her hands. She ran her finger over the name once again, like that would somehow wipe it off the envelope. She wished she could. It would be better if this letter didn’t exist at all. “And I-I’m sort of afraid to find out.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Within seconds, Ryoma’s arm shot forward, his hand open. When she met his gaze, he blinked thoughtfully at her, and did his best to smile. To reassure her. He must’ve remembered what Aneko would do. “Would you feel better if I opened it for you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Felicia didn’t waste a second thinking about it. She simply placed the letter in his hands, and did what she could to smile. Anyone would be able to see right through it, but Ryoma was trying to be reassuring for her sake. Her failure in returning the favour would be unfair. “Please.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He drew the letter towards him carefully, and turned it over in his hands, as if to observe the name for himself. It took only a moment for him to go straight to business, but he appeared to be scrutinizing the letter. Almost like he didn’t understand it. Then as gingerly as he could possibly manage, he pulled the burgundy seal away, and freed the letter from its envelope cage. Felicia’s heart skipped a beat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What’s it say, Dad?” Shiro bumped Ryoma’s arm, apparently suddenly invested in whatever had just interrupted dinner. She’d almost forgotten that her children were likely listening to every word they said; their brains like tiny sponges soaking up information. The idea alone made her sigh. No child needed to be caught up in anxiety over a letter like this._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Be patient, Shiro.” was all Ryoma could offer as he unfolded the letter; his eyes slowly dancing over each word of the text. At first, he didn’t appear to be non-plussed. His hand moved to his chin as he read the letter, as if he intended to reflect deeply upon the text. Perhaps a letter from someone she had done charity work with, or for? That was one of her responsibilities as queen, after all. Could it truly be just that? A sweet thank-you note from an orphan? She could do nothing but sit and wait with bated breath as his eyes moved further along, his fingers tracing the way, his whole demeanour susceptible to change. The further along he went, she noticed, the more troubled he began to look. By the time he’d reached the second paragraph, she could see the colour starting to drain from his face. When he reached the third, his shoulders had dropped entirely. Like he couldn’t believe what he’d just read._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The stress was too much for Felicia to take. All the way along, she chewed on her nails, terrified of what was to come. Watching Ryoma read the letter physically _hurt. _“Gods, R-Ryoma…” She never liked to call him that unless it was serious. Ryo, or honey, or darling… All names she preferred to use for lighter situations. Never Ryoma. The act of saying it in the moment felt like someone had forcibly stuffed a rock down her throat to keep her from talking. “W-What is it? Please tell me it’s not as bad as I think it is.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________There was a glance up from the letter. His lips pressed tight, and a slight shake of the head. Gods, no. What else could have happened? It felt like someone had pulled a corset tight around her ribcage. Every breath came with too much effort. She could barely even swallow without feeling the lump in her throat, and the push of tears that would inevitably accompany it. She buried her face in her hands, unwilling to let the others see her starting to cry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________That didn’t keep them from whispering, though, and certainly not from noticing. She could hear a few delicate whispers from Scarlet to Shiro, and then a clearer voice – Hinoka’s voice. So light that she could barely hear it, but undoubtedly hers. “Is it that bad?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yes.” A voice, too fruity to be anybody else’s but Ryoma’s, answered. “It’s bad. Execrable, even.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She didn’t know what degree of bad ‘execrable’ was supposed to be, but honestly, she didn’t feel like she had to. She swallowed hard at the sound of it. Her breaths seemed desperate to be sobs with every exhale. Tears began to pool in her eyes, and though she willed them not to fall, she knew there would be little that she could do about it. It was unfortunate, but most of the time, her tears would have their way. _Please don’t make me cry like a little girl in front of my family. _“W-Who’s dead?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________An eerie, woeful silence. Nobody dared to speak. How could anyone want to, with such a horrible question lying in the air like that? The tension in the air could be sliced by a katana. She could picture the way everyone looked at one another, wondering what should be done. The sounds alone were enough to paint an impressive image. The exhausted sigh that Takumi heaved as he looked lamentably at Ryoma, the sound of Sakura nervously picking at her nails as she awaited her sister’s inevitable eruption into tears, the reassuring yet totally phony patting Hinoka would perform on her niece and nephew’s hands… and the sound of her husband reaching across the table to touch her arm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Gunter.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Felicia’s chest felt like it had been pierced by a spear. All of the air seemed to leave her lungs in a rush, and though she wanted some semblance of comfort, she couldn’t find the strength to lift her head to even look for it. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut; the wet tears finally beginning to fall from her eyes and soak her cheeks and hands. She swore her heart was beating so harshly she could hear the thundering in her ears, amongst her own desperate pleading for this whole thing to be one big nightmare. “H-How?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Diphtheria,” Ryoma answered softly, “Or rather, complications with it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She sniffled. “I see… H-How long ago was it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“He passed on December 25th, according to the author of the letter.…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________No one could be certain that she processed what he said. To be frank, she herself didn’t feel sure, mumbling only: “Right, right.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Her husband’s hand was still on her arm, tugging gently on it to get her to look at him. Gods, what she wouldn’t give to go flying into his embrace. To have him wipe her tears away and just make everything okay again. Oh, how she wished they could have days as simple as they used to, when she’d cry over broken plates and mean rumours about their sex life. The days where he’d come swooping in, pulling her out of her favourite crying corner and telling her that everything wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Love seemed innocent then. It was harder now. “Mister Eskelson wrote you the letter to see if you wanted to attend Gunter’s funeral.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________More than anything. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She could think the words, but they refused to come out her mouth. The only thing that would were the shaky sobs that she couldn’t stop, try as she might. All she could do was sit there, shaking her head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Felicia, love… are you alright?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“N-No, I…” As much as she tried, it all came out like a strangled sob. Her voice was all cracks. “I… I have to go now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Not another word. Within an instant she pushed herself to her feet, and rushed to the door, never looking back. She heard Ryoma’s voice calling out to her, repeating her name loudly among the other vocalizations of her in-laws and children, but she hadn’t the heart to face him. All she wanted to do was run. To just run far, far away and not think about what they thought. Her feet were thundering beneath her before she even had the time to consciously make the decision. One foot in front of the other, her sandals hitting the stone floors of Castle Shirasagi as she broke away from the group. Oh, how she prayed she could wake up from this bad dream. She’d have given anything to wake up in Ryoma’s arms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Felicia!” His voice rang throughout as they both entered the hall. His voice seemed to boom around them. She supposed it would have sounded scary, if his tone weren’t so desperate. “Felicia, please!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Felicia squeezed her eyes shut. She would not turn around. She would not cry to him. She would keep it together. Damn it, she didn’t want to be any more trouble than she already had been these past few months, but the weight of the news felt like an elephant sitting on her torso. It would be so easy to spin on her heel and fling herself into Ryoma’s arms, to push her face against his warm chest and stain his haori with all of the tears she could shed. He’d cradle her in his arms and stroke her hair, mumbling sweet words of reassurance and how everything would be okay. The temptation of his comfort alone was enough to make the Hoshidan queen stop dead in her tracks, but how could she face him?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Felicia?” Her name fell from his lips like a whisper; he sounded afraid to speak any louder. Would she break, if he tried? She wasn’t sure. He seemed to think so. She must have been like one of those ceramic dolls to him, she thought bitterly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She wiped her nose on the back of her hand, not wanting to get snot on her kimono. Part of her wanted to open her mouth to speak; however, she knew the point in that would be moot. She’d tried to talk about her feelings when her father died, but Ryoma hadn’t caught a word she said through all of the wails. This time around, she wouldn’t waste his time blathering about things that didn’t make any sense._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I am truly sorry, love.” Gentle voice. So, so gentle. You could hear how careful he tried to be simply by listening to him. “I know how much Gunter meant to you. I cannot imagine how you feel right now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Like shit. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He took a step towards her. She braced herself to feel his hand on her shoulder, or maybe a kiss planted on the back of her head. “Is there anything that I can do? Just voice your need and I will do whatever I can.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Her fists were so tight now that imprints would surely be left behind in her palms from her nails. Quiet tears continued to slip down her cheeks. Though her lips were parted to give herself opportunity to speak, she was loath to let any more than one word through them. All she could manage to do was breathe a single word: “Stay.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Of course, love. Of course.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "This is just going to be a short story project," I said, proceeding to whack out 11 pages of a chapter that I spent nine and a half hours writing and editing over and over again until I was satisfied. So what have we gathered from this? I'm a liar!
> 
> Jokes aside, I hope you liked it. I know this story doesn't have much of a following going yet, and I'm not entirely sure if it will (I have no idea if as many people are still as excited about Fates as I am), but regardless, I hope it makes somebody happy. That's really all I'm aiming to do here. Thank you for picking up my little story, and I hope you have a good day/week/month/year/life in general!


	3. The Meaning of Togetherness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Gunter's funeral draws nearer and nearer, it's a struggle to be able to come up with the motivation to do just about anything at all. Luckily for Felicia, Ryoma's willing to take things into his own hands.

Where there should have been a king, there was only a throne and a face. 

The deepest part of the Vallite castle, in the heart of Gyges… The throne room… There was nothing to be found there. Nothing more than rubble, a shattered stone throne, and a face. A sleeping, solemn face of a dragon long gone. Almost human, but not quite. Just looking at it sent shivers down everyone’s spines. Even though the Anankos they’d hoped to find appeared to be long gone, his presence lingered. 

“He’s… not here.” The words didn’t escape Corrin’s mouth in more than a whisper. Though her liege’s back was turned on her, Felicia could picture the expression on her face. Her brows knitted together and resting over her blood red stare; her teeth grazing her lips. Even while confused, though, Felicia noted that her position was hunched. Like she hoped to brace herself for something. “There’s no one here at all. The throne room is empty.”

Azura’s grip on her naginata tightened as she too moved further into the room. All this time, the songstress behaved as if she knew what would happen once they came upon Anankos, but time and time again, he’d played her for a fool. Was this another one of those times? Did she know what they were up against, or was she chasing after some childhood myth her mother once told her? Stronger chills trickled down Felicia’s spine like ice water. She didn’t want to think about the answer to that question. They couldn’t have been there for nothing. “Then where…?” 

She could feel Azura’s words tearing their way through everyone’s skin. Surely, this all couldn’t have been a mistake. Not with the way they rallied themselves together, and got everyone to believe in each other. A weight sat in Felicia’s stomach like a boulder for every second she stood there stupidly, watching the royals a few paces ahead, looking at each other like archers who had just fired their last arrows. It took everything she had not to squeeze her eyes shut and look away from what laid in front of her. Azura had led them astray, hadn’t she? Perhaps her sister’s mistrust in the girl hadn’t been so misplaced after all. 

Her fingers rushed to brush against Flora’s, craving some semblance of comfort. She knew that her sister wouldn’t be in better shape, but at least they would have each other. At the end of everything, they knew they’d at least have that. She couldn’t help turning to meet her sister’s gaze, as if that would give her some feeling that things might be okay. Every second sunk her heart deeper into fear. Every moment the silence lingered…

“Aaugh!”

“Arggh!”

“Aaah!”

Light registered out of the corner of her eye, and within moments, Felicia was crying out a name. At the time, she had thought that the name that rolled off her tongue had been _Corrin. _Only later did she wonder if perhaps it hadn’t been so. Somewhere in her mind, the same memory seemed to exist with _Ryoma _in its place. It was hard to know which one it had been. She’d only caught a glimpse of the fire hitting Ryoma when she cried out, and yet… She shouted his name so easily.____

____The blasts of fire struck the royals from all around. Some took aim on the royals’ heads; others went for the stomach or the chest. Any vulnerable location seemed like fair game to the rapid-fire blasts. They didn’t even seem to spare little Sakura and Elise, who each took a blow to the leg and the shoulder respectively. The only ones who seemed to get a respite from it were Corrin and Azura. Both girls whipped around in shock at the sight the second the others were struck; their eyes desperately searching for some answer as to why. Felicia could only imagine how hard it would be. If someone had done something like that to Flora… well, she was never sure what she would have done, but it wouldn’t be pretty._ _ _ _

____“What was that?! Are you all okay?!”_ _ _ _

____The other royals failed to respond. Pain seared all of their faces, their bodies crumpling in on themselves to try and process what they’d just been through. Already she could see colour starting to drain from the faces of Camilla and Leo, and the breaths that seemed to hitch within Hinoka’s chest. Even Ryoma and Xander, presumably the strongest members of their respective royal families, felt the weakness that came with such wounds. Ryoma’s eyes were squeezed shut, and his chest was heaving as if every inhale was too much effort. Xander wasn’t much better, with his jaw clenched so tightly that she worried he might break a tooth from the way he grinded his teeth together._ _ _ _

____“Gah! What…” Xander couldn’t get more than two words through his sentence before groaning at the pain, clutching at the patch of burned skin on his side, “… just happened?”_ _ _ _

_____Move, _Felicia commanded herself internally. _They’re hurt. You’re a healer, they need your help! Move! ______ _ _ _

________Her legs stayed glued to the spot. She could have been a mannequin with how still she stood. Gods, why couldn’t she just find it in herself to get up and move?! She could barely stand to look at them. The ache of a burn would be much more than that of any regular wound, and here they were, with no one to protect them. Elise and Sakura were the worst of it, only being young girls, but she wasn’t exactly assuming Leo and Takumi could handle things any better. They were still teenagers, after all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Why weren’t… those two attacked?” Leo choked. His gaze slid slowly over to Xander, uncertainty betraying his normal poker face. He swallowed hard; his throat tight at the thought of what would come next. Corrin and Azura…? Were they…? He would be taking a risk by saying it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________In spite of the risk, Ryoma continued Leo’s thoughts, murmuring under his breath to himself: “Is it possible that… Corrin is the…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Takumi answered his brother without prompting. “I can’t believe it… There’s just no way.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Are you insane?!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It would be wrong to accuse her friends of insanity, especially when they’d just been attacked, but Corrin being a traitor? Felicia, she grew up with Corrin. The girl didn’t have a bad bone in her body. She loved everyone and everything, despite of how many times they could screw up or wrong her. She once got upset with Jakob for killing a spider that had meandered its way into the Fortress. Could that have been an act? She shook her head of the thought. She knew Corrin like the back of her own hand. Corrin was no traitor. Whether the others believed her or not, she would try to hold onto it until it was proven wrong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Despite her own faith however, doubt stirred in the expressions of her allies. Their heads all turned to look at one another with questioning, wondering silently if any of the royals had a point in suspecting that Corrin and Azura could have been the ones to betray them. They were the ones who lured the group there, insisting that they could share no details until they were in Valla. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to believe that the whole incident was actually some grand scheme, yet at the same time, it didn’t feel true. Not when they showed such love to the group... Silence overtook everyone for but a moment, with each of them drinking in the implications of the accusations. Even Azura and Corrin paused, staring desperately into the faces of their siblings, as if to beg them not to even consider the idea._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No… no, this makes sense. They are Vallites. Vallite royalty no less.” It was Gunter’s voice that finally rose above the deafening quiet. The confirmation came out almost like a sickening hum. In retrospect, Felicia supposed she should have been able to hear that his tone was laced with venom, but she’d been so taken aback by his agreement… She didn’t have the mind to hear it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Lady Corrin, you’ve deceived us, haven’t you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Corrin didn’t waste a minute in answering with a cry, “You can’t be serious, Gunter!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What are you saying?!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The old knight simply shook his head again, his hand reaching to draw his sword from its sheath. Instinctually, Felicia’s hand darted for her dagger, but Flora wrenched her arm away. ‘Don’t get involved,’ She mouthed, ‘You don’t know what will happen’._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________‘Neither do you’, Felicia found herself mouthing back, turning her head back to gawk at Gunter, who now had the tip of his sword pointing directly at Azura. The beginnings of a sneer formed on his lips, and she suddenly realized that she’d never seen him like this. Gunter could be strict, and definitely harsh if need be, yet he’d never stared at someone with such indisputable hatred. Her stomach churned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m sorry to admit it, but it appears my intuition was correct.” His sword seemed to twist in his grip. One move, and he could drive the blade right through Azura’s stomach. The songstress shivered in fear. “After Scarlet’s murder, I suspected that there was a traitor among us. But… I never thought it would be the two of you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Where’s your evidence, _Felicia wanted to demand. A set of hits on all of the other royals… was that enough in Gunter’s eyes? For all they knew, it could have been a ploy by Anankos. For all they knew, Corrin and Azura were a precious thing he saved – a set of tools he would torture and abuse later. He could have had bigger aspirations for them, and chose to save them for that reason. How could they only talk about people they loved as traitors? Surely, there had to be some sort of explanation.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“This is madness!” Xander’s voice thundering through the halls of the castle strangely brought Felicia some sense of comfort. “Corrin and Azura – betraying us? Gunter, explain yourself!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Xander’s command didn’t appear to register in Gunter’s mind. There was this almost vacant look on his face, his thin lips pressed together as if to conceal any sort of real emotion. When he spoke, it all came out in little more than a murmur. Something to be said to himself, for others to hear if they listened closely enough. “Of course. It all makes sense now. These two worked hard to gather the royal families from Hoshido and Nohr. They brought them together, to Valla, so that it would be easy to eliminate them!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Though she could not see them, Felicia knew that tears poured over Corrin. Azura’s hand rested on the princess’ shoulder to try and calm her, but she didn’t seem to be taking the bait. Her form shook slightly, and when she spoke, everything came out as a shout: “That’s not true! Gunter, stop!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It was all a Vallite ploy!” Gunter’s voice rose to a roar, “Lady Corrin has betrayed us!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No! I haven’t!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“These two are the traitors!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Corrin swallowed and reached up to wipe the tears from her face. When she shot back at him, it was through gritted teeth, with every word being spat like a poison that needed to be removed from her tongue. “I would never betray my friends! You’re wrong!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“That’s all you have to say? Lady Corrin, it’s painful to watch you lie to us. Please, just stop.”  
__________

___“But I know who the real traitor is! I wasn’t sure before, but I know now.” She whipped around to face her brother, a new look of determination in her crimson gaze. “Ryoma, I know who killed Scarlet!”_ _ _

__________Her sudden admission of truth erupted the whole company into muttering, wondering how she could possibly have gained the knowledge when there were no witnesses to Scarlet’s undoing. Not to mention how sudden this all was. In her current position, a sudden realization didn’t exactly look good. Especially not when the princess found herself under scrutiny already. Felicia bit her lip. She could only hope that this wouldn’t lead somewhere bad. To be honest, if it turned ugly, she wasn’t sure who’s side she would fight on. As the man who practically raised her, she’d want to believe in Gunter, but… as the girl who’d been her best friend when pretty much everyone else despised her, she wanted to fight with Corrin, too._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________In the end, she turned to Ryoma to find an answer. The prince was nothing if not wise. What would he do?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The answer? It seemed to be ‘blink confusedly’. “What? How do you know?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________A slight smile tugged at the corners of Gunter’s mouth upon hearing the prince’s confusion and the princess’s realization. A chill shot down Felicia’s spine when she saw it. Something about that smirk made her stomach tie itself in knots. It was so… unreal. “A sudden revelation, Lady Corrin?” He scoffed, “Let’s hear it, then.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Corrin paused. It must have been hard not to, given that all eyes rested on her. She had but one chance to try and convince the army of her and Azura’s innocence, and if she failed… the likelihood of them tearing the two princesses to shreds became much greater. Corrin seemed to know it, too, wiping her sweat slicked palms on any spare fabric she could find under her mass of armour. One chance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The dragon princess’s eyes flicked up from the floor they had been gazing so carefully at a second before; she fixed them on Gunter with such intensity that sent Azura stepping back in shock. Whatever realization the princess had just had, Azura did not act at all like she was in on it. “Scarlet’s killer… it was you, Gunter!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________What?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She heard the slap of Flora’s hand making contact with her forehead from beside her. Felicia couldn’t blame her for that reaction. That was about what she felt, too. All of those silent prayers for her liege’s innocence to end in a flipped accusation. Ouch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What? It was Gunter?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Even Azura appeared perturbed; her eyebrows raised in surprise at Corrin’s accusation. If the two of them really were on the same side, certainly they should have at least stuck to the same story. The army’s faces began to visibly deflate. Mouths tugged downwards and eyelids curtained disappointed gazes, everyone too heartbroken by the weak claim to even continue to observe the situation. Only a scarce few looked like they had any sort of stock in it anymore, and even then, she noticed the confidence in their faces waver. Even Ryoma, who’s eyes belied the slightest hope, now turned his gaze towards the floor. Like he couldn’t bear to watch his younger sisters fumble with more lies._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“… How disappointing,” Gunter tossed his head back, “Accusing your accuser? Do you have any evidence? Lady Corrin, you couldn’t sound more desperate with your lies.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Felicia swallowed quietly. Something about this whole exchange between her liege and her mentor sounded wrong. And ordinarily she might chalk it up to the fact that the two of them were fighting, and they never did that, but… Something in Gunter’s expression and tone made her skin crawl. It hadn’t stopped since he started talking, and it certainly wasn’t like this before… He’d chatted with her on the way in. She knew by this point that most of the others did not intend to believe Corrin; however, she wasn’t so sure she could defend Gunter either. Not when it felt like someone else spoke with his tongue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Except that I’m not lying. Do you recall what you said to me? That you remember how that flower looked, pinned to Scarlet’s chest before the jump?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Ryoma lifted his head almost immediately. In spite of the distance between herself and him, Felicia noticed that his eyes were wide. Realization, maybe? She wished she knew. She hadn’t been with him when he jumped._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Of course. What of it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Corrin turned slowly to face the others, her ruby eyes piercing through the crowd of soldiers. She threw her arms open to them, as if attempting to lure them to her. “When we found Scarlet’s body, does anybody remember seeing a flower?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Silence for a second. Then, Ryoma’s shaky voice, answering: “Now that you mention it… no, there wasn’t one on her.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Corrin nodded, her hands curling into fists with seemingly new resolve. “That’s because the magical attack she saved me from burned the flower away. And she had only put on that flower a moment before we jumped from the bridge. She and I were the last to jump, so the only ones who saw the flower were me… and whoever attacked her!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Felicia felt her gaze turn involuntarily towards her father figure, just as everyone else’s did. Each and every one of them awaited his response; their breaths held tightly in their bellies. Like even daring to exhale could somehow set him off. And perhaps it could have, with the way the man’s expression started to change. His frown deepened as the creases between his brows curved farther into his face. The sight of it made her head spin. One minute she thought Corrin could be the traitor, now it seemed like it might be Gunter? It was nauseating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Gunter didn’t speak. He didn’t even dare to open his eyes. In a matter of words, had Corrin made him lose? It wasn’t impossible, given that Corrin was… well, _Corrin, _but she changed the tides a lot faster than anyone expected. Even she seemed a bit surprised by Gunter’s practical silence, and appeared even more pleased when all he let out was a stubborn: “Hrmph.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Corrin’s eyes narrowed. “What do you say now, Gunter?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________More silence. If the old man had a word to say in his defence, he did not utter it. He simply folded his arms across his chest and refused to say anymore. All the while, everyone stared him down – Corrin, with her piercing gaze. Azura, with disbelief and discomfort. Flora, with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Ryoma, with a kind of fire that Felicia had seen only once before, when they faced off at Cyrkensia. There was an impatience brewing within him; anger pooling in his body as it began to tremble. Whatever wound he’d sustained only minutes before became nothing to him as he slowly rose to his feet, voice dripping with contempt._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Gunter!” He spat the man’s name like a curse, “Did you kill Scarlet?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________To this, the knight responded only with squeezing his eyes shut even tighter. Did he feel ashamed of what he’d done, she wondered? If Corrin knew the truth, and he really had killed Scarlet, why would he have done it? Furthermore, why would he feel bad?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Ryoma’s anger grew with every second the silence went on. It came as no surprise to Felicia when he finally screamed, “ _ANSWER ME! _”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Still, Gunter’s voice stayed in his throat. His whole body had been closed to the contact of others, and when it finally opened, it was replaced by a horrifying laughter. Slowly, but surely, tumbling out from his stomach in a way that made Felicia wince. Instincts sent her hand diving for her dagger once again, and this time, Flora did not stop her. She was able to retrieve it with ease, prepared to throw her life on the line to stop this from happening._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Whatever this was._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She didn’t really know, if you asked her to be honest. But her liege was in danger, and the man she loved looked about ready to plunge his katana through her mentor’s abdomen, so it would not hurt her to be prepared. Well, as prepared as she could be, given what she’d just learned. To tell the truth, she found much of the rest of the situation fell on her dead ears. The moments seemed to blur together as Gunter strutted to the Vallite throne and plunked himself down upon it, a purplish aura surrounding him the second he made contact with the chair. At some point, she knows he and Corrin talked – traded words about naivety and betrayal, similarities to Anankos – and then the next thing she knows, the world begins to rush around her. Vallite soldiers drop from their hiding spots and unleash hell upon the group, and her fellow soldiers are pushing past her and leaping into the fray. Her head is spinning as everyone charges forward; the pit in her stomach grows by the second. All she can see is this mess of chaos in front of her, and instead of wondering how it got there, she can only wonder how long they’ve been pawns in Gunter’s game._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It's only Ryoma’s voice, strong and demanding, that lures her back to the fight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She always could turn to him when she felt weak.  
____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________There were three cracks in their bedroom ceiling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She’d memorized them while she was ill, in the months before her father died. She’d come down with a nasty virus from Cheve. A visiting ambassador from Nestra had been an unknowing carrier, so she spent a week or so bedridden and staring up at that ceiling, drifting in and out of sweaty fever dreams. When she was responsive enough to the world around her, she found peace in counting the cracks over and over. Between the healers that drifted in and out, and the sounds of visiting voices whispering words of comfort, the cracks were the only thing that gave her any real sense of being there. For all she knew, the well wishes of her husband and children could only have been another figment of her imagination. Another piece of the world passing her by._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It was strange to her, that she came back to the cracks at a time like this. One would have thought she’d find them repulsive after staring at them for a week, feeling her skin soaked with sweat and her lungs festering with poisoned air that just wouldn’t come out. Instead, however, she found that looking up at them brought her comfort. Like somehow, in spite of the drastic change of her world, there could still be some things that were constant._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________So many things had changed recently that her head was still reeling. First, there was Saburo. Then her illness. Then her father. And after that, Gunter. Just as Felicia came to feel comfortable in Hoshido, earned the love and respect of her people, and finally began to settle… Just as all of that happened, the world had to snap her out of order. If she had been scatterbrained growing up in the Northern Fortress, this sort of rapidly changing environment wasn’t doing her in any favours. In the days after receiving Barley’s letter, she’d made a mess of her duties more than once. Mixing up schedules, giving the wrong information to the wrong people, advising her husband irresponsibly… Even messing up things as simple as spending time with her children. It seemed most of the time, people were sympathetic to her predicament – her husband and his siblings most of all – but she could see the frustration brewing behind the plastered-on smiles from the other advisors and servants. She’d seen that expression her whole life. She knew exactly what it meant, somewhere deep down. The buried resentment that would be growing within. Even after all those years, it was a challenge to ignore._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Look at how much trouble you’re causing everybody, _a nasty voice whispered in her ear, _they’d be so much better off if you learned to just get over it. _In some ways, she wished she could. If Jakob were there, he would have asked her why she cared that that old traitor keeled over and died. He wouldn’t have given it much of a second thought. What was done was done according to Jakob, and he’d be relieved to have Gunter off the earth. Flora would have been roughly the same – feeling sympathetic to the situation, and encouraging her sister to grieve a little, but… eventually, she would point out that Gunter betrayed them anyway. And if he felt bad about it, perhaps he’d have answered a single letter they sent his way. But he never did. Ten years of wedding invitations and baby portraits and requests to please just come to Valla or Hoshido or the Ice Tribe Village to talk… and not a single letter in return. He simply seemed content to treat them as if they never existed. Flora would tell her she should try to do the same, if that was how things were going to be.____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________At least she could take comfort in the fact that Corrin probably felt more of the same way as she. And to some degree, Lilith would too – though the dragon girl was nowhere near as close with Gunter as they had been, she still had liked him to some degree. She had made no secret of her disappointment over his betrayal. Surely, if Jakob and Flora were to be the ones who lacked sympathy for the old man, Corrin and Lilith would be the ones who still held him in somewhat high regard. Of course, dividing her friends up like that posed a problem for her. After all, she’d have to decide for sooner or later where she placed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She’d be the first to admit that the answer was uncertain. There were so many factors to consider. When she and Flora arrived at the Northern Fortress, Gunter took them in as his own. He taught them everything he knew about being a good servant, and protected them from the world as best he could. He was always strict, and careful about getting too close to his pupils, but Felicia always saw the love in his eyes. She had so many memories of him expressing himself in little ways, and keeping them safe when the world threatened to swallow them whole. Him pressing a cool cloth to her forehead after she stole Corrin’s fever. Him wrapping bandages around Jakob’s injured hands after a kitchen incident. Him whispering words of praise into Flora’s ear on a hard day. Him carefully adjusting Corrin’s sword stance. Him assuring Lilith was taken care of when they found her in the stables… All memories that came back in a tidal wave. Him lifting her out of the mud, wiping the blood off her face after a beatdown from the head cook. Him holding Corrin tight after her siblings were forbidden from visiting. Him sneaking Jakob some of his own dinner, just after he had taken the fall for a set of plates he didn’t break. Him reassuring Flora when she struggled to keep up with the rest of them in training, taking the extra time to show her how to do things._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________But then there was the betrayal, and the possession, and Anankos, and Scarlet. Sweet, beautiful Scarlet. An excellent warrior, and a great woman. Though they were not exceptionally close, Felicia liked her. Unlike so many others who would berate her openly, Scarlet was kind. She didn’t take Felicia’s screw-ups personally. Not to mention that she was also a great friend to Ryoma. The two had grown close in such a short amount of time, and the Dawn Dragon would make a liar out of Ryoma if he tried to tell people he hadn’t been in love with her. Back before everything happened, she remembered catching him stare at the blonde no matter who was speaking – with the same look in his eye. At the time she hadn’t been certain of what to make of it, but now that she was his wife, she knew what it had meant._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________One. Two. Three. Three cracks. There were three cracks in the ceiling. She was thinking too much. About Gunter and Scarlet, about things and people who would never come back. Letting her mind race from memory to memory, topic to topic… It would poison her. Her heart already ached with unimaginable strength; it would only grow more intense if she dared to think on Gunter and Scarlet. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t take comfort in the ceiling’s cracks for too long. Too many people depended on her to get her job done. Lifting her head off her pillow would be the least she could do._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Yet here she still was. Laying there. Waiting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I’m just never going to get up at this rate, am I?” She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Try as she might to gain some sense of morale, it was a lot easier to just lay there and beat herself down. Even hearing a familiar set of footsteps approaching from down the hall, threatening to expose her to the world beyond the cracks in her ceiling, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything. “I’m just going to lay here forever like the saddest lump in the world.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She didn’t bother to look up when the door to her room slid open with ease, nor when the sound of a familiar voice filled the room. Whether or not she did, she knew the room’s new occupant would be making an effort to speak with her. “Not with that attitude.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Not at all a surprise to pick up the sound of her husband’s voice. She should have expected his return to their shared bedroom much sooner. It would be getting late, after all. Not to mention that ever since the letter from Barley came in, he’d been deliberately retiring earlier so as to spend more time with her. Just being a diligent husband, as he always was. No surprise there. She wished only that she had the energy to talk to him about all that plagued her mind. He made it no secret that he would have liked her to, but she didn’t have it in her to dump all of her thoughts onto him. Ryoma was somewhat obsessed with taking care of other people, yet knowingly seemed to do it at his own expense. She knew he’d only hold the weight of her feelings upon his shoulders, along with all of the rest of the weight he carried. As his wife and queen, she promised to help him carry that weight. The last thing he needed was for her to make him shoulder some of her personal burden, too._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________So instead, she sighed, reaching a hand up to brush her bangs away from her eyes. “It’s kind of hard not to have this attitude, you know?” Slowly, she rotated her head to stare at him, “I’m leaving to go to a funeral tomorrow, and I haven’t been any help to you with preparing anything. Not for the kingdom for my departure and not for my trip.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________A small smile cracked through her spouse’s usual stony expression; his eyes softening as he listened to her speak. She hadn’t even realized it, but lately, she hadn’t seen so much of that smile. She missed it. She didn’t know how she could have missed such obvious signs of him sharing in her pain. There was a bit of sadness and exhaustion in his gaze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I said I would do whatever you needed, did I not?” His voice came out smooth and sweet, like the richest chocolate. Sliding the door shut, her husband strode into the room and sat down at her feet, just on the edge of the futon they shared. “I had no expectations. I assumed you trusted me to look after this for you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I did- I do, it’s just…” The words seemed to catch in her throat. Another sigh brewed within the confines of her chest, and she had to consider whether or not she wanted to let it out, “I’ve been horrible to you lately. All I do is mess things up and make your life harder.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________His smile didn’t change, his fingers darting forward to playfully poke at her belly. “Come on. You have always said that.” He shook his head, “And it has never been within the realm of truth. It’s alright to be upset due to current events, but please, do not take out your feelings on yourself because of it. I know you are doing the best you can.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I’m glad you know that…” Though the energy didn’t want to come, she tried to smile at him anyway. It was probably pretty weak, but she did it. To reassure him where she could. It would not have felt fair otherwise, “Still, I’m sure you’ll get like… way more work done while I’m in Nohr.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________What she expected from him was a slight chuckle. Maybe even another friendly jab at her belly, if she were lucky. Any indication that he wanted to keep being playful would have done the trick. Instead, though, his smile appeared to falter a bit. She swore she might even have caught him nibbling on his lip, like he was unsure or nervous about something. The fact that he didn’t stop smiling was at least a little promising, yet she had to admit she didn’t care for the air of secrecy. Though her husband could usually be more stoic than a stoneborn when he wanted to be, today was not his day for that. “Yes, um… about that…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Felicia fought off the urge to groan once again. She loved her husband, she really did, but if anything went wrong, she wasn’t sure that she would be able to take it. She would want to crumple up on their futon and die on the spot, most likely. To say she wasn’t exactly in the mood for any unfortunate news was an understatement._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“In working on the preparations for the trip I decided that…” He didn’t meet her eyes, pushing a hand through his long russet hair. “I decided that I would prefer it if you did not make this trip alone. I understand that you would have Buichi and Aneko to look after you; however, I do not think this will be sufficient support. I feel that at a time like this, you need not only protection from the world, but also affection from those who care about you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She quirked a brow. “What are you saying?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He sighed, finally allowing his eyes to fall on her. “I have decided that I will be accompanying you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Try as she might, the queen found she could not hold back her blinks of surprise. Ryoma made sure to be a dutiful husband by whatever means at his discretion, yet the idea that he could ever accompany her on such a journey sent shock through her heart. In their ten years of marriage so far, he tended to be so encompassed in working for the kingdom that she’d had to do much on her own – several of her visits to the Ice Tribe were ones she took alone, sometimes with the children… and she could not count on her fingers how many times she’d taken trips to Valla without him. To see Corrin, his own sister! Hearing that he intended to join her was like hearing that Flora had finally confessed her feelings to Jakob – possible, but just generally extremely unlikely. She couldn’t help herself; she pushed herself to a sitting position the second she heard the news._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“What? Y-You want to come with me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He nodded thoughtfully, his smile starting to return. “Yes, I spent awhile pondering the thought, and I concluded that it would not be right for me to leave you to do this on your own,” Heat pricked her skin as he reached a hand over and placed it upon her cheek, “The loss of a life is a burden no one should have to shoulder by themself. Even if the loneliness in their pain is temporary. I don’t mean to talk myself up too much, but… I suppose I just get the feeling that you probably need me right now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Her hand moved up to place itself upon his own, an affectionate grin sneaking its way across her face. “I do.” She murmured, trying desperately to keep her gaze fixed on his own. When he said sweet things like that, she always found it hard to keep focus. The waves of affection were just too overwhelming. All she could do was stare longingly at his lips, hoping that maybe she might get the chance to kiss him. It would be inappropriate to do so now, while the two of them were having an important discussion about their trip. Still, she desperately wanted to. If anything would give her certainty, it would be his lips against hers. “What about Hoshido? And our children?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He kept smiling and stroking her cheek with one of his thumbs. If he noticed her occasional glances at his lips, he didn’t say anything. “Leo and Takumi are to be stationed in Hoshido for three more months before going back to Nohr. It should give us plenty of time to attend the funeral and return home. The two of them have already agreed to handle it.” He paused slightly, “As for the children, I thought perhaps we could bring them along.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Admittedly that part took her by surprise. Sure, technically, her original trip was going to be her plus Saburo – the child could not be separated from the mother who gave him his much-needed milk – but now Ryoma wanted to bring Shiro and Scarlet as well? “How come? I m-mean, not that I don’t want them around, but bringing three kids on a trip is a lot, darling. Plus, it’s not exactly like it’s going to be a happy trip. We are attending a funeral. It won’t be very much fun for them.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I will not lie to you and say that the thought of our kids on a trip is something I do not find daunting, but we certainly are not the only ones to bring them along. When Corrin and Azura wrote, they both told me of their intention to bring along their children. They said that they hoped to see Shiro, Scarlet, and Saburo there as well.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Felicia snickered; her voice soft as she answered him. “So, you want them to come so you can appease your sisters?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Ryoma only shrugged in response. “Appeasing my sisters is apart of it, yes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“What’s the other part?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________For a second, Ryoma seemed to pause. His smile slowly grew melancholic once more as he debated with himself over whether or not he knew the right thing to say. She couldn’t help but wonder how worried he was about saying the right thing. He appeared to be spending a minute thinking on it. “When my father passed away, it had been just barely a year since we lost my mother-” He stopped for a second, quick to correct himself, “My biological mother, that is. Not Mikoto.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She always liked that Ikona and Mikoto were both ‘Mother’ to him. He’d confessed more than once that he and Mikoto hadn’t been the closest, not in comparison to his other siblings, but he’d still loved her. For a long time, he cited her as the person who just seemed to understand when others didn’t. As heartbreaking as it was to think, she remembered feeling that way around Gunter. When she grew frustrated with Jakob’s consistent criticism and Flora’s badgering to practice, he had always lent an ear to her concerns. “Go on.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Watching my father die, and witnessing Corrin’s kidnapping, and finding my mother’s body… It took a great toll on me as a child, and well into adulthood.” That part she knew. She had been the one to help him through it, after all. When he finally asked himself why Corrin’s refusal to choose a side registered as a betrayal in his mind. “There was a time when I did not feel as if I would ever get through it. I spent days laying in bed, skipping lessons, avoiding eating, avoiding the people I loved. I struggled to see a point in finding joy with anyone or anything if the world insisted upon snatching it away from me the first chance it had.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Though she knew the story, it did not stop her heart’s ache. She could picture a young Ryoma in her mind, no older than ten, laying in bed with a blank stare. His usually glowing skin having lost all colour, his hair in complete disarray, and the dark circles that would form under his eyes from night after night of interrupted sleep. He would do little other than cry himself to sleep and stare at the wall, too horrified by his loss to have the strength to do anything else. She wished she could reach into the past to kiss that little boy’s forehead, and tell him that everything would be okay someday. Unfortunately, she didn’t hold that power. All she could do was sit and listen to the man who sat at her side now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“If it had not been for my family and the castle staff with all of their unrelenting love and support, I’m not certain I ever would have parted from my futon. I would have willingly thrown everything away. I once told Hinoka that I wished I had died in Cheve, with Father… And I thought that that was how I felt for a long time, but… I didn’t. Not really. It was everyone else who helped me realize that perhaps there was some hope to be had after all.” This was not the first time she’d heard Ryoma’s story. It certainly wouldn’t be the last. Whether it was the first or the last time didn’t matter. It touched her heart every time he told it. She was proud to hear of how far he’d come. “I suppose what I am trying to convey is that when I was at a low point in my life, what saved me was having people to turn to. People who would stand by my side no matter what. With everything that has happened in these past few months, I want you to be surrounded by people who love you. Especially when times are hard. The children are still children, so they do not completely understand, but they love you nevertheless. Just having that love is enough.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The words fell from her lips as little more than a gentle breath. “You’re right,” She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his with a soft smile, “Having their love, and yours… It means everything to me. I’m a lucky girl.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Ryoma chuckled, shutting his eyes. “I’m glad you feel that way.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________As the words drifted off into the air, silence befell them for but a moment. For a second or so, Felicia thought maybe it would be a good time to say something of value, but honestly… She just wanted to live in the moment. In a way, sitting there with her forehead up against his was almost peaceful. Feeling the warmth of his skin against her own, and the sensation of his gentle breath against her face. It was most certainly a welcome break from the rest of the world. And like he had said, the sense of affection it gave her would likely be the best medicine for her heart’s pains. There was a part of her that never wanted this simple pleasure to end, but… It was hard to resist. How could she, when they were so close, and he had been so sweet? “Ryo?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The kindness of his umber-coloured eyes ignited the feeling of peacefulness even further, as they fluttered open to meet her once again. The look in his gaze was so innocent and so loving. If there was once sadness held there, not a soul would have known. “Yes?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I love you.” She mumbled. More of a smile tugged on his lips at the words, and though he looked more than prepared to say it back, she pulled herself back ever so slightly. Just close enough that she could begin to tilt her head, so not as to mash their noses together when she got to her destination._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She knew she probably should have asked to kiss him, but it was just getting too hard to hold back. With everything being so tender, why fight it? It was unspoken, but surely he craved her the same way she longed for him. He even seemed to settle into it with nary a second thought, closing his eyes once more as she moved in. It was daunting, being the one to go in. Ryoma had always been better at kissing than she could ever be, and usually initiated, but she tried where she could. And this time, she tried hard to get it right. The brush of her mouth against his came lightly at first. Almost like a missed moment in time. Though she wanted it, committing to the moment made her tremble. Sensing this, Ryoma pushed himself forward a little, finally allowing them to meet. It might as well have been one of their happiest days, with the way her heart settled as soon as they were brought together. Perhaps Ryoma was right. Perhaps respite from her pain would only come in the form of love from others._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________That was why she needed to go. Not to decide how she should feel about Gunter, but to be with other people who loved her. And to give that love to others who needed it from her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: This was originally supposed to be a Flora-centric chapter! I kept trying to start it as one, but whenever it happened, I sort of struggled to get it right. So rather than fighting with myself constantly, I flipped the perspective and gave Flora the next chapter to work with. Plus, it gives me more time to establish Felicia's feelings on the situation, as well as her relationship with Ryoma, before we go diving into the other characters. It's pretty important that I establish these things because... well, what am I going to torture you with later if I don't establish this stuff now? Just kidding. Sort of. Point is: plot moves more next chapter, for now you get Ryolicia fluff. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it! I tried my best to make it as entertaining as possible. I'm really excited to be working further on this fic when I've got the time. It's nice to have this little project kicking around. I appreciate all of the support the story has gotten so far, and I hope you like it going forward. As always, have a generally good day/week/month/year/life in general!

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write a Fates work for about a year now, given that's how long I've been playing the games for, haha. Now that I'm pretty much done, I thought I might try my hand at writing something. I actually whipped this first part up pretty quickly, which is a surprise for me. 
> 
> Anyway, rest assured that this is going to be more of a short-story project. I'm not thinking like a 25-chapter long fic, but I still want to play around with things a little bit. Sorry that this beginning part is so short, I'm working on the first chapter and hopefully I can satisfy myself enough to get it up soon. Thanks for your attention and your support! Hope the story turns into something you like.


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